A variety of apparatus are commercially available for transporting marine crafts of sizes ranging from kayaks to yachts. For medium to large boats, the apparatus usually consists of a trailer which serves as a means for both transporting and launching the boat. Such devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,422,665, Hinnant; 3,445,018, Regan, and 2,437,736, Good.
Smaller marine vehicles, such as kayaks, canoes or small sail boats, do not require a trailer type vehicle because of the reduced size and weight of the craft. For such smaller marine craft, transportation racks, attachable to the roof of an automobile, are available. Unfortunately, such rack type apparatus provide no assistance in launching the craft. Furthermore, with smaller crafts, such as canoes and kayaks, the desired body of water is often remote from any roads or paths which are accessible to automobiles. Consequently, the user must dismount the craft from the automobile and manually carry the craft the remaining distance. It is not uncommon for boating and canoeing enthusiasts to manually carry canoes a mile or more to the desired body of water. Unfortunately, it is often impractical and even dangerous for a lone individual to carry a canoe or other craft any distance greater than several hundred feet due to the considerable physical fatigue and stress result from the weight of the craft.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,936,595, Cunningham, discloses a canoe toter apparatus which enables a single individual to manually transport a canoe or similar marine craft over reasonable distances. The device disclosed in Cunningham addresses some of the above described problems with traditional apparatus for transporting marine crafts. In particular, the disclosed device includes an axle on which the marine craft rests, with wheels attached to each end of the axle. Once the individual has placed the marine craft on top of the axle, it may be awkward or cumbersome to slide the craft relative to the axle for more exact placement. Forces applied to the marine craft are transferred, because of the frictional engagement between the craft and the axle, to the wheels, causing the canoe and toter apparatus to move in unison. As a result, several attempts may be required before obtaining the desired placement of the craft on the apparatus.
In addition, many current marine craft transporting devices ride relatively close to the ground and may not be high enough to clear many of the natural obstructions which are present in the terrain. Further, when the axle is disposed close to the ground, the angle at which the user must grasp or pull the craft may create physical discomfort over extended periods.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a canoe toter which simplifies the task of positioning a canoe or other small marine craft on the toter apparatus.
Further, another object of the present invention is to provide a canoe toter which enables a single individual to manually slide a canoe or other small marine craft with respect to the toter apparatus without movement of the toter itself.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a canoe toter which allows the canoe or other small marine craft to ride at a level which is high enough to clear most obstructions and which allows the user to grasp the canoe more comfortably.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a canoe toter which enables a single user to manually transport a canoe or other small marine craft over extended distances.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a canoe toter which is strong, durable and able to withstand extended wear and abuse from the environment.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a canoe toter which is adaptable to a variety of canoe sizes and which itself can be reduced in size to facilitate ease of storage and transportation when not in use.